7. James
7
JAMES
I walked out of the ballroom and past the hotel's front desk feeling confident. After that conversation with Ivy at my dinner table, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. For a long time, the idea of divorce didn't feel like freedom. It felt like a stain on my life that I'd never be able to remove because it marked me as a failure. I'd been raised to believe the institution of marriage was a once and you're done thing. That Barbra was it for me.
But along came Ivy Hart to dismantle everything I'd ever thought in just a few words. She'd said love should be free, and that made me rethink everything I thought about love. I'd spent the past five days away from my home out of town, and each night as I dined alone and lay in my bed contemplating life, I thought about those words.
I had never once truly loved Barbra. I did care about things, and when she was ill, I cared for her. But my goals and hopes for my own life always took precedence. I was selfish, though I never thought of it like that. I assumed when my business was established well enough, my focus would turn toward a family, but as Ivy spoke about what real love looked like, I realized I’d never experienced it—not as a giver or a receiver.
Barbra never loved me, either. She wasn't the doting, supportive wife who catered to my needs and encouraged me. She was every bit as selfish, constantly nagging me to change and be better. She always harped on me to do this or do that, and honestly, not having that pressure on my shoulders for the past few weeks had been refreshing to me. It was like I could breathe again, like an obligation I wasn't enjoying had been removed from my list of priorities and I was free.
I climbed into my limo and shut the door, and my driver looked at me through my reflection in the rearview mirror. His eyes studied me for a second and finally, I gave him orders.
"To the office now, please." He nodded and took off, and I looked down at my phone.
Ivy Hart had helped me break through a barrier I doubted I'd have ever torn down myself, mostly because I'd have stayed stuck in a mentality that wasn’t healthy. I knew if the right person came along, my heart would devote itself fully to that person. There wouldn't be any effort needed or involved. I'd want to make them happy and make their dreams come true. And Barbra just hadn’t been that.
I felt so grateful to have met Ms. Hart, and now after hearing what she'd been going through the past few months, how she needed to rebuild and rebrand her business to survive, I wanted to help her. I wasn't going to just dump millions on her lap and tell her a cold "Thanks." I wanted to do something better for her. Something that would make a strong impact on her that would last a lifetime, the way she'd made an impact on me.
Smiling, I opened my phone and navigated to the website where my RSVP's for all of my gatherings were being collected. I thumbed through the list of people who said they'd come and I started making a few mental notes of the men and women I'd want to introduce her to. I knew some very social people who would definitely have parties and gatherings of their own that Ivy would be perfect for, and I wanted to make sure I didn't let a single opportunity slip by me where I could put in a good word or make an introduction.
Then I happened upon a few single men who recently came into my radar, good men who were responsible and level-headed. I knew they weren't necessarily looking for a partner, but then neither was Ms. Hart at the moment. Still, it never hurt to introduce her to them. She might very well hit it off with one of them and find the love of her life, because a woman with a heart of gold like hers deserved a wonderful man to love her.
I might've been too old or out of touch for someone her age, but that didn't mean I couldn't still support her and help her. If by introducing her to a few people, I put wind in her sails, then I would do it. I was making the decision right here and now to show her that there were still really great men in the world who would treat her better than her former partner, and they would help her chase her dreams. And it was a good feeling.